{"id":2661,"date":"2026-03-03T13:08:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T12:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/your-brain-on-stress\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T21:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T19:38:32","slug":"your-brain-on-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/your-brain-on-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Brain on Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n\/* The accent is a light-background device. 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Accent hue here is 25 degrees, so the band is #fbf3f7. *\/\n.eqp .eqi{color:#6b2748}\n.eqp .eq-term{position:relative;display:inline;border-bottom:1.5px dotted #a03566;cursor:help;outline:none}\n.eqp .eq-term:focus-visible{outline:2px solid #a03566;outline-offset:3px;border-radius:3px}\n.eqp .eq-def{position:absolute;left:50%;bottom:calc(100% + 12px);z-index:40;width:min(320px,78vw);\n  box-sizing:border-box;transform:translateX(-50%) translateY(4px);margin-left:var(--sx,0px);\n  opacity:0;visibility:hidden;pointer-events:none;background:#fffcfe;border:1.5px solid #f1dfe8;\n  border-left:3px solid #a03566;border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:13px 16px 14px;\n  box-shadow:0 10px 30px rgba(20,40,44,.13);font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:14.5px;\n  line-height:1.55;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;color:#342a2e;text-align:left;\n  transition:opacity .16s ease,transform .16s ease}\n.eqp .eq-def b{display:block;font-family:\"Work Sans\",sans-serif;font-size:11px;font-weight:700;\n  letter-spacing:.13em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#6b2748;margin:-13px -16px 12px;\n  padding:10px 16px 9px;background:#fbf3f7;border-bottom:1px solid #f1dfe8}\n.eqp .eq-term:hover .eq-def,.eqp .eq-term:focus .eq-def,.eqp .eq-term:focus-within .eq-def{\n  opacity:1;visibility:visible;pointer-events:auto;transform:translateX(-50%) translateY(0)}\n@media(max-width:600px){.eqp .eq-def{position:fixed;left:12px;right:12px;bottom:14px;top:auto;\n  width:auto;max-width:none;margin-left:0;transform:translateY(10px);font-size:15.5px}\n.eqp .eq-term:hover .eq-def,.eqp .eq-term:focus .eq-def,.eqp .eq-term:focus-within .eq-def{transform:translateY(0)}}\n@media(prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.eqp .eq-def{transition:none;transform:translateX(calc(-50% + var(--sx,0px)))}}\n@media print{.eqp .eq-def{display:none}.eqp .eq-term{border-bottom:0}}\n<\/style><div id=\"eqp-rail\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i><\/i><\/div><nav id=\"eqp-parts\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><a href=\"#part-1\" data-i=\"1\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">What the stress response actually is<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-2\" data-i=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">What it does to thinking<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-3\" data-i=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Memory, attention and context<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-4\" data-i=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">The cost of staying switched on<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-5\" data-i=\"5\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Sleep, and the rest of the body<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-6\" data-i=\"6\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Why people differ, and what helps<\/span><\/a><a href=\"#part-7\" data-i=\"7\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span><span class=\"lbl\">Your brain is not trying to ruin your life<\/span><\/a><\/nav><button id=\"eqp-top\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Back to the top of the article\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M6 10.5V2M2 5.5 6 1.5l4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg>Top<\/button><script>(function(){document.documentElement.setAttribute(\"data-eqp\",\"on\");function init(){var RM=false;if(window.matchMedia){RM=window.matchMedia(\"(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)\").matches;}var bar=document.querySelector(\"#eqp-rail i\");var hasST=false;if(window.CSS){if(CSS.supports){hasST=CSS.supports(\"animation-timeline\",\"scroll()\");}}if(bar){if(!hasST){  var tick=function(){    var h=document.documentElement.scrollHeight-window.innerHeight; 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 for(var i=0;i<tops.length;i++){ if(tops[i]){ if(tops[i].offsetTop<=y) cur=i; } }  if(cur!==last){    links.forEach(function(a,i){a.classList.toggle(\"on\",i===cur);});    last=cur;  }  if(btn){    var h=document.documentElement.scrollHeight-window.innerHeight;    var far=false; if(h>0){far=window.scrollY\/h>0.35;}    btn.classList.toggle(\"on\",far);  }};addEventListener(\"scroll\",sync,{passive:true});addEventListener(\"resize\",sync);sync();if(btn)btn.addEventListener(\"click\",function(){  window.scrollTo({top:0,behavior:RM?\"auto\":\"smooth\"});});}if(document.readyState===\"loading\"){document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",init);}else{init();}})();<\/script>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull eqp has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-69fa9525 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding:0px 22px\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<div style=\"color:#7a6870;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-post-date has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T13:08:59+01:00\">3 o\u017eujka, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n<div style=\"color:#7a6870;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\" class=\"taxonomy-category has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-post-terms has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\"><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/body-and-mind\/\" rel=\"tag\">Body and Mind<\/a><span class=\"wp-block-post-terms__separator\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/category\/deep-dive\/\" rel=\"tag\">Deep Dive<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-playfair-display-font-family\" id=\"your-brain-on-stress\" style=\"color:#2b2429;margin-top:12px;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:clamp(24.034px, 1.502rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.814), 40px);font-style:normal;font-weight:800;line-height:1.15\">Your Brain on Stress<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#4a3f46;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:22px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.55\">What actually changes in there, and why it is not a character flaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#7a6870;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:34px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);line-height:1.5\"><strong style=\"color:#6b2748\">20 minute read<\/strong> &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 4,520 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family eq-drop wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#251c21;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.92px, 0.933rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.861), 22.5px);line-height:1.62\">You have probably noticed that stress can make you feel strangely unlike yourself. You forget things you normally know. You reread the same sentence three times. You become much more easily irritated. Small decisions suddenly feel disproportionately difficult. You might spend an entire day thinking about the thing that is stressing you, even when you are technically doing something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And then there is the particularly annoying experience of finally having some time to relax and discovering that your brain has apparently not received the memo. This is often described as being \u201cbad at handling stress,\u201d but that explanation misses something important. Your brain is not simply malfunctioning when you are stressed. It is changing how it allocates attention, energy, memory, emotion, and decision-making in response to what it perceives as a demand or threat. <strong class=\"eqb\">Stress is, fundamentally, an adaptation system.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The interesting part is that the same system that can help you perform under pressure can also make you feel scattered, hyper-alert, exhausted, forgetful, or emotionally overwhelmed when it stays activated for too long. So what is actually happening inside the brain?<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<style>\n.eqp .eq-short{background:#4c1f38}\n.eqp .eq-short .eyebrow{color:#e0917e}\n.eqp .eq-short .hook{color:#f6e6ee}\n.eqp .eq-short .n{color:#e0917e}\n.eqp .eq-short .s{color:#dcc4ce}\n.eqp .eq-short .close svg{color:#e0917e}\n.eqp .eq-short .close p{color:#e7d3dc}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"eq-short\"><p class=\"eyebrow\">The short version<\/p><p class=\"hook\">Two stories get told about stress: that it is basically harmless, or that it is permanently damaging your brain. <b>What the research supports is more specific than either, and more useful than both.<\/b> Six things worth knowing before the long version.<\/p><ol><li><span class=\"n\">01<\/span><div><p class=\"c\">You are not bad at handling stress. You are being reprioritised.<\/p><p class=\"s\">The forgetfulness, the reread sentence, the small decision that suddenly feels enormous. That is a brain moving attention, energy and memory toward whatever it has decided matters most.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">02<\/span><div><p class=\"c\">Stress can make you forget this morning and remember 2017 forever.<\/p><p class=\"s\">It can interfere with getting information back out while making emotionally charged moments more likely to stick. Both at once, from the same hormones, because they reach different stages of memory.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">03<\/span><div><p class=\"c\">More stress does not simply mean worse thinking.<\/p><p class=\"s\">A moderate rise in arousal before something that matters can sharpen you. The trouble starts when a system built for immediate demands takes over situations that need reflection and patience.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">04<\/span><div><p class=\"c\">Nobody can tell you your allostatic load.<\/p><p class=\"s\">It is a research framework spanning several biological systems, not a blood test and not a score you can be at. Your nervous system is not a phone battery sitting at 17%.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">05<\/span><div><p class=\"c\">Exhausted and wired is not a contradiction.<\/p><p class=\"s\">Poor sleep makes the stress system more reactive, which makes the next day harder, which costs more sleep again. Tiredness and physiological arousal are not opposites, and you can be deep in both.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li><span class=\"n\">06<\/span><div><p class=\"c\">Resilience is not something you have.<\/p><p class=\"s\">The same person can be resilient in one environment and overwhelmed in another. It depends on conditions rather than character, which is also the hopeful part, because conditions can change.<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ol><div class=\"close\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M2 6h8M6.5 2.5 10 6l-3.5 3.5\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p>What follows is the long version: <b>what each of those rests on, and where the evidence stops.<\/b> It ends on the question the whole thing is really about, which is not how to tolerate more stress. It is what would give your brain enough evidence that it is allowed to stand down.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b92303a9 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbf4f8;border-color:#f0dce7;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:44px;margin-bottom:44px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#916175;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT THIS ARTICLE COVERS \u00b7 SEVEN PARTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-toc wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\"><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 1<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-1\">What the stress response actually is<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">2 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#first-stress-is-not-just-a-feeling\">First, stress is not just a feeling<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-brain-does-not-put-everything-else-on-pause-it-changes\">The brain does not put everything else on pause. It changes priorities.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 2<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-2\">What it does to thinking<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">2 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#why-you-suddenly-become-terrible-at-things-you-normally-ha\">Why you suddenly become terrible at things you normally handle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#then-there-is-the-amygdala\">Then there is the amygdala<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 3<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-3\">Memory, attention and context<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">3 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>3 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#why-stress-can-make-you-remember-some-things-extremely-wel\">Why stress can make you remember some things extremely well and forget others<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#stress-also-changes-what-you-pay-attention-to\">Stress also changes what you pay attention to<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-hippocampus-claim-is-usually-overstated\">The hippocampus claim is usually overstated<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 4<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-4\">The cost of staying switched on<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">2 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#allostatic-load-is-a-framework-not-a-score\">Allostatic load is a framework, not a score<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#chronic-stress-is-different-from-having-a-stressful-week\">Chronic stress is different from having a stressful week<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 5<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-5\">Sleep, and the rest of the body<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">2 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>1 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#sleep-makes-this-even-more-complicated\">Sleep makes this even more complicated<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#stress-does-not-simply-cause-inflammation\">Stress does not simply cause inflammation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><details><summary><svg class=\"chev\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 6<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-6\">Why people differ, and what helps<\/a><span class=\"cnt\"><span class=\"sec\">3 sections<\/span><span class=\"sep\"> &middot; <\/span>2 min<\/span><\/summary><ul><li><a href=\"#so-why-do-some-people-seem-to-handle-stress-better\">So why do some people seem to handle stress better?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-goal-is-not-to-eliminate-stress\">The goal is not to eliminate stress<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#and-this-changes-how-we-think-about-calming-down\">And this changes how we think about calming down<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/details><div class=\"flat\"><svg class=\"chev hide\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 2l4 4-4 4\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"num\">PART 7<\/span><a class=\"ttl\" href=\"#part-7\">Your brain is not trying to ruin your life<\/a><span class=\"cnt\">1 min<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">01<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part one of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-1\">What the stress response actually is<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Two systems, one quick and one slow, and why the meaning of an event matters as much as the event<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"first-stress-is-not-just-a-feeling\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">First, stress is not just a feeling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">When something feels threatening, demanding, unpredictable, or uncontrollable, the brain begins coordinating a whole-body response. This involves several systems, including the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, usually shortened to the HPA axis. The sympathetic nervous system can act very quickly. It increases alertness, heart rate, blood pressure, and the availability of energy. Adrenaline and <span class=\"eq-term\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"sgd-1\"><em class=\"eqi\">noradrenaline<\/em><span class=\"eq-def\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"sgd-1\"><b>noradrenaline<\/b>Both a hormone the body releases and a signal the brain uses to set its own alertness. The second job is why stress can leave you feeling wired rather than only physically ready.<\/span><\/span> help prepare the body to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The HPA axis is slower and more sustained. The hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland, which signals the adrenal glands, which then release cortisol. Cortisol has acquired something of a villain reputation, but cortisol is not inherently bad. You need it. It helps regulate metabolism, immune activity, cardiovascular function, and the availability of energy during demanding situations. The problem is not that cortisol exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The problem is what happens when stress systems are activated repeatedly, intensely, or for long periods without adequate recovery. This is one reason the brain is so central to the stress response. It does not merely react to physical danger. It evaluates what is happening, predicts what might happen next, and determines how much of a threat something represents. <strong class=\"eqb\">The meaning of an event therefore matters enormously.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A looming deadline, an argument with someone you care about, financial uncertainty, chronic pain, lack of sleep, social rejection, and an actual physical threat can look very different from the outside, yet they can recruit overlapping biological stress systems. Your brain is constantly asking a version of: What is happening, and what do I need to do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-brain-does-not-put-everything-else-on-pause-it-changes\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:46px;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The brain does not put everything else on pause. It changes priorities.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One of the most useful ways to understand stress is to think about it as a shift in priorities. When the brain detects a significant threat or demand, resources are directed toward dealing with it. Attention becomes more oriented toward what seems important. Emotional signals can become more influential. Physiological systems prepare for action. This can be extremely useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you are about to give an important presentation, a moderate increase in arousal may make you more alert and focused. If you suddenly hear a car horn while crossing a road, you do not want your brain calmly contemplating seventeen alternative interpretations of the situation. You want it to react. <strong class=\"eqb\">Stress can therefore improve some forms of performance under some circumstances<\/strong>. The relationship is not simply \u201cmore stress = worse cognition.\u201d Research on stress and executive function shows considerable variation depending on the intensity and timing of the stressor, the task being performed, and individual differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The trouble begins when a system designed to prioritize immediate demands starts dominating situations that actually require flexibility, reflection, memory, or long-term planning. 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One is fast enough to move you out of the road; the other is still working long after. Cortisol is the end of the slow chain, not the whole of stress.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">02<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part two of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-2\">What it does to thinking<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">The parts of your mind that go missing under pressure, and where they have actually gone<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"why-you-suddenly-become-terrible-at-things-you-normally-ha\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Why you suddenly become terrible at things you normally handle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The prefrontal cortex is heavily involved in what we usually call executive functions: working memory, attention, response inhibition, planning, cognitive flexibility, and goal-directed behaviour. In other words, a lot of the things you rely on when you are trying to be a reasonably functional adult. Under significant stress, these functions can become less efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Research suggests that stress can impair aspects of working memory, attention, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control, although the effects depend heavily on the circumstances. This helps explain something that can otherwise feel strangely personal. You know how to answer the email. You know where you put the document. You know what you were supposed to buy at the supermarket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You are perfectly capable of making the decision. Yet somehow, when you are stressed, your brain feels like it has temporarily misplaced several of its more sophisticated features. This is not necessarily because your underlying abilities have disappeared. <strong class=\"eqb\">Stress can change how effectively those abilities are recruited in the moment.<\/strong> Under acute stress, neural systems involved in rapid threat detection and <a href=\"\/dopamine-addiction-everyday-habits\/\" style=\"color:#6b2748;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-decoration-color:#6b2748\">habitual or well-established responses<\/a> can become relatively more influential, while the flexible, deliberate processing associated with prefrontal control can become less dominant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">From an evolutionary perspective, this makes a certain amount of sense. When something urgent is happening, the brain does not necessarily need an elaborate philosophical discussion about all available options. It needs a response. Unfortunately, modern life contains a lot of situations where the optimal response is actually to sit down, think carefully, tolerate uncertainty, and send a sensible email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The brain does not always distinguish those situations as elegantly as we would like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"then-there-is-the-amygdala\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Then there is the amygdala<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The amygdala is often described as the brain\u2019s \u201cfear centre,\u201d which is catchy but incomplete. It is involved in detecting and learning about emotionally significant information, particularly information relevant to threat and uncertainty. Under stress, amygdala activity and its interactions with other brain regions can change. This can increase <span class=\"eq-term\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"sgd-2\"><em class=\"eqi\">the salience<\/em><span class=\"eq-def\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"sgd-2\"><b>salience<\/b>How much something stands out and pulls attention toward itself. A salient thing is not necessarily important; it is the thing the brain has flagged as worth noticing.<\/span><\/span> of emotionally important information and influence attention, memory, and physiological responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">That does not mean your amygdala is simply \u201ctaking over.\u201d The brain is not organized into a neat hierarchy where one tiny almond-shaped structure grabs the steering wheel while the rational brain sits helplessly in the passenger seat. Real stress responses involve networks. The amygdala communicates with the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, brainstem, and other systems. The result depends on context, previous experience, timing, and the individual\u2019s physiological state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This matters because <strong class=\"eqb\">the popular story of stress as \u201cprimitive brain versus rational brain\u201d is appealing, but neuroscience is considerably messier<\/strong>. And, honestly, the messier version is more useful.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">03<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part three of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-3\">Memory, attention and context<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Why some things stick, why everything else feels peripheral, and what tells a brain the danger is over<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"why-stress-can-make-you-remember-some-things-extremely-wel\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Why stress can make you remember some things extremely well and forget others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Stress has a particularly complicated relationship with memory. You might struggle to remember what someone said five minutes ago while having an unusually vivid memory of the embarrassing thing that happened eight years ago. There is a reason this can happen. Stress hormones influence different stages of memory differently. Cortisol and other stress mediators can affect encoding, <span class=\"eq-term\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-describedby=\"sgd-3\"><em class=\"eqi\">consolidation<\/em><span class=\"eq-def\" role=\"tooltip\" id=\"sgd-3\"><b>consolidation<\/b>What happens to a memory after the moment itself. Over the following hours and days it either settles into something lasting or it does not, and a good deal of that work happens while you sleep.<\/span><\/span>, and retrieval, and the effects depend on timing and the type of information involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">One of the better-established findings is that acute stress can impair retrieval of previously stored information, particularly under certain conditions. At the same time, stress-related hormonal activity can enhance the consolidation of emotionally significant experiences. In other words, <strong class=\"eqb\">stress can make it harder to pull information out of your memory while making certain emotionally important experiences more likely to stick<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is one reason stressful experiences can become unusually memorable. Your brain is essentially treating the event as important information. The message is not necessarily, \u201cRemember every detail.\u201d It is closer to, \u201cThis mattered. Pay attention.\u201d That can be adaptive. If something genuinely dangerous happens, remembering relevant cues can help you avoid the same situation in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But the system does not have perfect judgment about what deserves permanent mental real estate. Sometimes it stores the useful lesson. Sometimes it stores the sound of someone\u2019s voice, the exact expression on their face, or one humiliating sentence from a Tuesday in 2017. Brains are efficient, but they are not particularly tidy.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:54px\"><figure class=\"stx mem\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Stress does not do one thing to memory<\/p><p class=\"un\">three moments, three answers<\/p><\/div><div class=\"mtop\"><div class=\"max\"><\/div><div class=\"mev\"><i><\/i><span>the event<\/span><\/div><div class=\"marw\">time &rarr;<\/div><\/div><div class=\"mrow\"><div class=\"mcol\"><div class=\"mbr\"><\/div><p class=\"mwhen\">while it is<br>happening<\/p><div class=\"mcard\"><p class=\"mstg\">Encoding<\/p><p class=\"mwhat\">Taking it in at the time.<\/p><p class=\"mfeels\">&ldquo;I was in the room for all of it and I could not tell you what was said.&rdquo;<\/p><div class=\"mmark\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M3 10h14\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7a6870\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><b style=\"color:#7a6870\">It depends<\/b><\/div><p class=\"mqual\">On the timing, and on the kind of information.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"mcol\"><div class=\"mbr\"><\/div><p class=\"mwhen\">the hours and days<br>afterwards<\/p><div class=\"mcard\"><p class=\"mstg\">Consolidation<\/p><p class=\"mwhat\">Whether it settles or does not.<\/p><p class=\"mfeels\">&ldquo;An unusually vivid memory of the embarrassing thing that happened eight years ago.&rdquo;<\/p><div class=\"mmark\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 17V4M5 9l5-5 5 5\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#a03566\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><b style=\"color:#a03566\">Can be strengthened<\/b><\/div><p class=\"mqual\">For experiences that were emotionally significant.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"mcol\"><div class=\"mbr\"><\/div><p class=\"mwhen\">later, when you<br>need it back<\/p><div class=\"mcard\"><p class=\"mstg\">Retrieval<\/p><p class=\"mwhat\">Getting it back out again.<\/p><p class=\"mfeels\">&ldquo;Struggling to remember what someone said five minutes ago.&rdquo;<\/p><div class=\"mmark\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M10 3v13M5 11l5 5 5-5\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#a9503f\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><b style=\"color:#a9503f\">Can be impaired<\/b><\/div><p class=\"mqual\">Under acute stress, and under certain conditions.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption>The same stress, at three different points on the same clock. This is why the two experiences arrive together: it can make it harder to pull information out of your memory while making certain emotionally important experiences more likely to stick. One moment is being hindered while another is being helped.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"stress-also-changes-what-you-pay-attention-to\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Stress also changes what you pay attention to<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">When you are stressed, attention can become biased toward information that seems relevant to the problem. This is useful if there is an immediate threat. It is considerably less useful when the \u201cthreat\u201d is an unanswered message or an uncertain future outcome that cannot actually be resolved tonight. This can create a feedback loop. You notice the stressful thing. You think about it. Thinking about it increases its salience. You notice more things related to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Those things remind you of the original concern. Now the concern feels even more important. And because attention has become increasingly organized around the problem, everything else can start feeling strangely peripheral. This is one reason chronic stress can feel mentally exhausting even when you are not physically doing very much. The brain is doing work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A lot of it is simply not visible.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:54px\"><figure class=\"stx\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Why it does not switch off<\/p><p class=\"un\">six steps, each one reasonable<\/p><\/div><div class=\"rg\" style=\"height:540px\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 900 540\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M450 66 A312 204 0 1 1 450 474 A312 204 0 1 1 450 66 Z\" fill=\"none\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\" stroke=\"#e2b8ca\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><path class=\"rgp\" d=\"M450 66 A312 204 0 1 1 450 474 A312 204 0 1 1 450 66 Z\" pathLength=\"1000\" fill=\"none\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"3.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".9\"\/><g transform=\"translate(606 93.33) rotate(20.68)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(762 270) rotate(90)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(606 446.67) rotate(159.32)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(294 446.67) rotate(-159.32)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(138 270) rotate(-90)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(294 93.33) rotate(-20.68)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><\/svg><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:50%;top:12.22%;width:228px\"><b>1<\/b><span>You notice the stressful thing.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:80.02%;top:31.11%;width:228px\"><b>2<\/b><span>You think about it.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:80.02%;top:68.89%;width:228px\"><b>3<\/b><span>Thinking about it makes it feel more important.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:50%;top:87.78%;width:228px\"><b>4<\/b><span>You notice more things related to it.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:19.98%;top:68.89%;width:228px\"><b>5<\/b><span>Those things remind you of the original concern.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:19.98%;top:31.11%;width:228px\"><b>6<\/b><span>Now it feels more important still.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"core\"><i>and round again, which is why<\/i><b>it is exhausting<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rgch\"><ol><li><b>1<\/b><span>You notice the stressful thing.<\/span><\/li><li><b>2<\/b><span>You think about it.<\/span><\/li><li><b>3<\/b><span>Thinking about it makes it feel more important.<\/span><\/li><li><b>4<\/b><span>You notice more things related to it.<\/span><\/li><li><b>5<\/b><span>Those things remind you of the original concern.<\/span><\/li><li><b>6<\/b><span>Now it feels more important still.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><div class=\"rgbk\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M44 4 C44 16 30 19 16 19 L4 19 M9 14 L4 19 L9 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#a03566\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p>And back to the first step. <b>it is exhausting.<\/b><\/p><\/div><\/div><figcaption>Attention organises itself around the problem, and each pass makes the problem more salient. No single step is unreasonable, which is why the loop closes instead of stopping, and why the work is real even though none of it is visible.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The hippocampus is important for memory and contextual processing, and it also participates in regulating the stress response. This creates an interesting feedback relationship. The hippocampus helps the brain understand context. In very broad terms, context allows the brain to distinguish \u201cthis is dangerous\u201d from \u201cthis reminds me of something dangerous.\u201d That distinction is extremely important. Imagine hearing a loud noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If you are walking alone in an unfamiliar place at night, your brain may interpret it very differently than if you are sitting safely at home and realize it was the heating system. The physical sensation is not enough. <strong class=\"eqb\">Context changes the meaning.<\/strong> Chronic stress can affect hippocampal function and its interactions with other brain systems. Research on chronic stress suggests that prolonged exposure can alter neural structure and function, although popular descriptions of this research often exaggerate what it means for individual people.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f22087a0 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fdf4ec;border-color:#f0dfd0;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:50px;padding:38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#a9503f;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORTH BEING CLEAR ABOUT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-hippocampus-claim-is-usually-overstated\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The hippocampus claim is usually overstated<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You will sometimes see claims that stress \u201cshrinks your hippocampus.\u201d That is an oversimplification. Much of the mechanistic evidence comes from animal research, and human findings are more complicated. Brain structure is influenced by many factors, and observed differences do not automatically tell us that stress caused a particular structural change in a particular person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The broader conclusion is much more defensible: prolonged stress can affect neural systems involved in memory, emotion, and regulation, and <strong class=\"eqb\">these effects can be adaptive, maladaptive, reversible, or persistent depending on the circumstances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">04<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part four of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-4\">The cost of staying switched on<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">What adaptation costs when it never gets to stop<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The body is remarkably good at adapting. That adaptation is sometimes described using the term allostasis, meaning roughly \u201cstability through change.\u201d Your body does not maintain exactly the same internal state all day. It continuously adjusts according to what is happening. Heart rate changes. Blood glucose changes. Hormones change. Attention changes. Immune activity changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This flexibility is a feature, not a bug. But adaptation has costs. If stress systems are activated too frequently, remain activated for too long, or fail to shut down appropriately, the cumulative physiological burden is sometimes described as allostatic load. <strong class=\"eqb\">Think less \u201cmy cortisol is permanently high\u201d and more \u201cmy regulatory systems are repeatedly being asked to work hard.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f22087a0 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fdf4ec;border-color:#f0dfd0;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:50px;padding:38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#a9503f;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORTH BEING CLEAR ABOUT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"allostatic-load-is-a-framework-not-a-score\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Allostatic load is a framework, not a score<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Allostatic load is not a single medical diagnosis or a simple blood test that tells you how \u201cstressed\u201d you are. It is a research framework involving multiple biological systems, including neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune markers. Higher allostatic load has been associated with poorer health outcomes, although measurement and interpretation are complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is an important distinction because the internet has a habit of turning sophisticated physiological concepts into personality quizzes. <strong class=\"eqb\">Your nervous system is not a phone battery sitting at 17%.<\/strong> Human physiology is considerably more interesting than that.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"chronic-stress-is-different-from-having-a-stressful-week\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Chronic stress is different from having a stressful week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">It is also worth separating acute stress from chronic stress. Acute stress is a temporary response to a challenge. Your body mobilizes resources, you deal with the situation, and ideally the system returns toward baseline. Chronic stress is different because the demand is persistent, recurrent, or perceived as inescapable. That could mean an objectively difficult environment, <a href=\"\/boundaries-boundaries-boundaries\/\" style=\"color:#6b2748;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-decoration-color:#6b2748\">ongoing interpersonal conflict<\/a>, financial insecurity, caregiving demands, chronic illness, workplace strain, sleep disruption, or a combination of smaller stressors that never quite gives the system a chance to settle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The distinction matters because the stress response itself is not the enemy. The ability to mount a stress response is part of healthy functioning. <strong class=\"eqb\">The problem is difficulty recovering.<\/strong> This is why \u201cstress management\u201d should not simply mean learning how to tolerate being stressed indefinitely. Recovery is part of the biology.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:54px\"><figure class=\"stx rec\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Acute and chronic are different shapes<\/p><p class=\"un\">schematic, and yours to move<\/p><\/div><div class=\"rcs\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 900 255\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"A response trace over five demands. A slider sets the time between them: with a long gap the line falls all the way back to the baseline after each demand, and with a short gap each demand begins from higher than the one before it.\"><path class=\"rcfill\" d=\"M46.0 220.0 L48.5 214.6 L50.9 199.8 L53.4 179.4 L55.9 158.6 L58.3 142.8 L60.8 136.0 L63.3 139.5 L65.7 143.5 L68.2 147.3 L70.6 150.9 L73.1 154.3 L75.6 157.6 L78.0 160.6 L80.5 163.6 L83.0 166.4 L85.4 169.0 L87.9 171.5 L90.4 173.9 L92.8 176.2 L95.3 178.4 L97.8 180.4 L100.2 182.4 L102.7 184.3 L105.2 186.0 L107.6 187.7 L110.1 189.3 L112.5 190.8 L115.0 192.3 L117.5 193.6 L119.9 194.9 L122.4 196.2 L124.9 197.4 L127.3 198.5 L129.8 199.5 L132.3 200.6 L134.7 201.5 L137.2 202.4 L139.7 203.3 L142.1 204.1 L144.6 204.9 L147.1 205.7 L149.5 206.4 L152.0 207.0 L154.4 207.7 L156.9 208.3 L159.4 208.9 L161.8 209.4 L164.3 209.9 L166.8 210.4 L169.2 210.9 L171.7 211.4 L174.2 211.8 L176.6 212.2 L179.1 212.6 L181.6 212.9 L184.0 213.3 L186.5 213.6 L189.0 213.9 L191.4 214.2 L193.9 214.5 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L765.7 176.5 L768.2 178.6 L770.6 180.7 L773.1 182.6 L775.6 184.5 L778.0 186.2 L780.5 187.9 L782.9 189.5 L785.4 191.0 L787.9 192.4 L790.3 193.8 L792.8 195.1 L795.3 196.3 L797.7 197.5 L800.2 198.6 L802.7 199.7 L805.1 200.7 L807.6 201.6 L810.1 202.5 L812.5 203.4 L815.0 204.2 L817.5 205.0 L819.9 205.7 L822.4 206.5 L824.8 207.1 L827.3 207.8 L829.8 208.4 L832.2 208.9 L834.7 209.5 L837.2 210.0 L839.6 210.5 L842.1 211.0 L844.6 211.4 L847.0 211.8 L849.5 212.2 L852.0 212.6 L854.4 213.0 L856.9 213.3 L859.4 213.7 L861.8 214.0 L864.3 214.3 L866.7 214.6 L869.2 214.8 L871.7 215.1 L874.1 215.3 L876.6 215.6 L879.1 215.8 L881.5 216.0 L884.0 216.2 L884.0 220 L46 220 Z\" fill=\"#d0705c\" opacity=\".14\"\/><line x1=\"46\" y1=\"220\" x2=\"888\" y2=\"220\" stroke=\"#eccada\" stroke-width=\"1\" stroke-dasharray=\"4 4\"\/><text class=\"ax\" x=\"40\" y=\"224\" text-anchor=\"end\">rest<\/text><line x1=\"46\" y1=\"135.9\" x2=\"888\" y2=\"135.9\" stroke=\"#eccada\" stroke-width=\"1\" stroke-dasharray=\"2 5\"\/><text class=\"ax\" x=\"52\" y=\"130.9\">the first peak<\/text><line class=\"rcfloor\" x1=\"46\" y1=\"216.2\" x2=\"888\" y2=\"216.2\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"1.6\" stroke-dasharray=\"5 4\" opacity=\"0\"\/><text class=\"nt rcflab\" x=\"888\" y=\"209.2\" text-anchor=\"end\" fill=\"#a9503f\" opacity=\"0\">where the next one starts<\/text><path class=\"rctr\" d=\"M46.0 220.0 L48.5 214.6 L50.9 199.8 L53.4 179.4 L55.9 158.6 L58.3 142.8 L60.8 136.0 L63.3 139.5 L65.7 143.5 L68.2 147.3 L70.6 150.9 L73.1 154.3 L75.6 157.6 L78.0 160.6 L80.5 163.6 L83.0 166.4 L85.4 169.0 L87.9 171.5 L90.4 173.9 L92.8 176.2 L95.3 178.4 L97.8 180.4 L100.2 182.4 L102.7 184.3 L105.2 186.0 L107.6 187.7 L110.1 189.3 L112.5 190.8 L115.0 192.3 L117.5 193.6 L119.9 194.9 L122.4 196.2 L124.9 197.4 L127.3 198.5 L129.8 199.5 L132.3 200.6 L134.7 201.5 L137.2 202.4 L139.7 203.3 L142.1 204.1 L144.6 204.9 L147.1 205.7 L149.5 206.4 L152.0 207.0 L154.4 207.7 L156.9 208.3 L159.4 208.9 L161.8 209.4 L164.3 209.9 L166.8 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216.0 L548.8 216.2 L551.3 210.8 L553.7 196.0 L556.2 175.6 L558.7 154.8 L561.1 139.0 L563.6 132.2 L566.1 135.9 L568.5 140.0 L571.0 144.0 L573.4 147.8 L575.9 151.3 L578.4 154.7 L580.8 158.0 L583.3 161.0 L585.8 163.9 L588.2 166.7 L590.7 169.3 L593.2 171.9 L595.6 174.2 L598.1 176.5 L600.6 178.6 L603.0 180.7 L605.5 182.6 L608.0 184.5 L610.4 186.2 L612.9 187.9 L615.3 189.5 L617.8 191.0 L620.3 192.4 L622.7 193.8 L625.2 195.1 L627.7 196.3 L630.1 197.5 L632.6 198.6 L635.1 199.7 L637.5 200.7 L640.0 201.6 L642.5 202.5 L644.9 203.4 L647.4 204.2 L649.9 205.0 L652.3 205.7 L654.8 206.5 L657.2 207.1 L659.7 207.8 L662.2 208.4 L664.6 208.9 L667.1 209.5 L669.6 210.0 L672.0 210.5 L674.5 211.0 L677.0 211.4 L679.4 211.8 L681.9 212.2 L684.4 212.6 L686.8 213.0 L689.3 213.3 L691.8 213.7 L694.2 214.0 L696.7 214.3 L699.1 214.6 L701.6 214.8 L704.1 215.1 L706.5 215.3 L709.0 215.6 L711.5 215.8 L713.9 216.0 L716.4 216.2 L718.9 210.8 L721.3 196.0 L723.8 175.6 L726.3 154.8 L728.7 139.0 L731.2 132.2 L733.7 135.9 L736.1 140.0 L738.6 144.0 L741.0 147.8 L743.5 151.3 L746.0 154.7 L748.4 158.0 L750.9 161.0 L753.4 163.9 L755.8 166.7 L758.3 169.3 L760.8 171.9 L763.2 174.2 L765.7 176.5 L768.2 178.6 L770.6 180.7 L773.1 182.6 L775.6 184.5 L778.0 186.2 L780.5 187.9 L782.9 189.5 L785.4 191.0 L787.9 192.4 L790.3 193.8 L792.8 195.1 L795.3 196.3 L797.7 197.5 L800.2 198.6 L802.7 199.7 L805.1 200.7 L807.6 201.6 L810.1 202.5 L812.5 203.4 L815.0 204.2 L817.5 205.0 L819.9 205.7 L822.4 206.5 L824.8 207.1 L827.3 207.8 L829.8 208.4 L832.2 208.9 L834.7 209.5 L837.2 210.0 L839.6 210.5 L842.1 211.0 L844.6 211.4 L847.0 211.8 L849.5 212.2 L852.0 212.6 L854.4 213.0 L856.9 213.3 L859.4 213.7 L861.8 214.0 L864.3 214.3 L866.7 214.6 L869.2 214.8 L871.7 215.1 L874.1 215.3 L876.6 215.6 L879.1 215.8 L881.5 216.0 L884.0 216.2\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#a03566\" stroke-width=\"2.4\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><text class=\"ax\" x=\"888\" y=\"240\" text-anchor=\"end\">time \u2192<\/text><\/svg><\/div><div class=\"rcc\"><label for=\"eq-rec\">Time between demands<\/label><span class=\"rcsl\"><i>back to back<\/i><input id=\"eq-rec\" type=\"range\" min=\"0\" max=\"100\" step=\"1\" value=\"80\" aria-describedby=\"eq-recout\"><i>well spaced<\/i><\/span><\/div><p class=\"rco\" id=\"eq-recout\" aria-live=\"polite\"><b>Back to rest.<\/b> The system comes all the way down between demands. Five peaks, one baseline.<\/p><figcaption>Drawn, not measured. Every setting shows the same five demands at the same size; the only thing that changes is how much time the system gets in between, so the horizontal axis stretches with the gap rather than the drawing running off the edge. The ability to mount a stress response is part of healthy functioning, and what separates a stressful week from chronic stress is whether the system gets back down before the next thing arrives.<\/figcaption><\/figure><script>(function(){\nvar f=document.getElementById(\"eq-rec\"); if(!f){return;}\nvar ro=document.getElementById(\"eq-recout\");\nvar sv=f.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.querySelector(\"svg\"); if(!sv){return;}\nvar tr=sv.querySelector(\".rctr\"),fl=sv.querySelector(\".rcfill\"),\nfo=sv.querySelector(\".rcfloor\"),fb=sv.querySelector(\".rcflab\");\nfunction rcT(s){\nvar N=5,A=100,TAU=45,RISE=14,YMAX=245,X0=46,X1=884,YT=14,YB=220,ST=340;\nvar g=26+s*1.44, step=RISE+g, T=N*step, lev=[], L=0, i;\nfor(i=0;i<N;i++){lev.push(L);L=(L+A)*Math.exp(-g\/TAU);}\nvar px=function(t){return X0+t\/T*(X1-X0);};\nvar py=function(v){return YB-v\/YMAX*(YB-YT);};\nvar pts=[],k,t,j,u,b,v;\nfor(k=0;k<=ST;k++){\n t=T*k\/ST; j=Math.floor(t\/step); if(j>N-1){j=N-1;}\n u=t-j*step; b=lev[j];\n if(u<RISE){v=b+A*(1-Math.cos(Math.PI*u\/RISE))\/2;}else{v=(b+A)*Math.exp(-(u-RISE)\/TAU);}\n pts.push(px(t).toFixed(1)+' '+py(v).toFixed(1));\n}\nvar d='M'+pts.join(' L');\nreturn {d:d,fill:d+' L'+px(T).toFixed(1)+' '+YB+' L'+X0+' '+YB+' Z',\n floor:py(lev[N-1]).toFixed(1),ratio:lev[N-1]\/A};\n}\nfunction rcS(r){\n if(r<0.08){return ['Back to rest.','The system comes all the way down between demands. Five peaks, one baseline.'];}\n if(r<0.30){return ['Almost back.','Each demand now begins a little above where the last one began. It is small, and it accumulates.'];}\n if(r<0.70){return ['No longer returning.','Every demand starts from higher than the one before it. Nothing about the demands has changed.'];}\n return ['The baseline has moved.','This is what chronic means here: not bigger demands, and not more of them, but never enough room between them.'];\n}\nfunction rcD(){\n var r=rcT(+f.value);\n tr.setAttribute(\"d\",r.d); fl.setAttribute(\"d\",r.fill);\n fo.setAttribute(\"y1\",r.floor); fo.setAttribute(\"y2\",r.floor);\n fo.setAttribute(\"opacity\",r.ratio<0.08?0:0.8);\n fb.setAttribute(\"y\",r.floor-7); fb.setAttribute(\"opacity\",r.ratio<0.08?0:1);\n var w=rcS(r.ratio); ro.innerHTML=\"<b>\"+w[0]+\"<\\\/b> \"+w[1];\n}\nf.addEventListener(\"input\",rcD); rcD();\n})();<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">05<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part five of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-5\">Sleep, and the rest of the body<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Two places the loop closes on itself<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"sleep-makes-this-even-more-complicated\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Sleep makes this even more complicated<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><a href=\"\/surprisingly-busy-business-of-sleeping\/\" style=\"color:#6b2748;text-decoration:underline;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-decoration-color:#6b2748\">Stress and sleep<\/a> have an irritatingly reciprocal relationship. Stress can interfere with sleep, while <strong class=\"eqb\">inadequate or poor-quality sleep can increase physiological stress reactivity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-e97cf90f wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fbf4f8;border-color:#f0dce7;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:44px;margin-bottom:44px;padding:38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#916175;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WHAT THE RESEARCH SUPPORTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">A systematic review of human research found that decrements in sleep quality can increase HPA-axis reactivity to laboratory stress.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">So you can end up with something like: Stress makes it harder to sleep. Poor sleep makes your stress system more reactive. Increased reactivity makes tomorrow feel harder. Tomorrow creates more stress. And now the cycle has become self-sustaining. This is one reason someone can say, completely truthfully, \u201cI am exhausted, but I cannot switch off.\u201d <strong class=\"eqb\">Exhaustion and physiological arousal are not opposites.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">You can be profoundly tired while your threat-detection and arousal systems are still highly active. That combination is miserable, but it is not mysterious.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:54px;margin-bottom:54px\"><figure class=\"stx\"><div class=\"hd\"><p class=\"ti\">Why it keeps going<\/p><p class=\"un\">stress and sleep, each feeding the other<\/p><\/div><div class=\"rg\" style=\"height:450px\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 900 450\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M450 66 A312 159 0 1 1 450 384 A312 159 0 1 1 450 66 Z\" fill=\"none\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\" stroke=\"#e2b8ca\" stroke-width=\"2\"\/><path class=\"rgp\" d=\"M450 66 A312 159 0 1 1 450 384 A312 159 0 1 1 450 66 Z\" pathLength=\"1000\" fill=\"none\" vector-effect=\"non-scaling-stroke\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"3.4\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" opacity=\".9\"\/><g transform=\"translate(670.62 112.57) rotate(27)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(670.62 337.43) rotate(153)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(229.38 337.43) rotate(-153)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><g transform=\"translate(229.38 112.57) rotate(-27)\"><path d=\"M-8.5 -8 L2 0 L-8.5 8\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#d0705c\" stroke-width=\"2.8\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><\/svg><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:50%;top:14.67%;width:228px\"><b>1<\/b><span>Stress makes it harder to sleep.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:84.67%;top:50%;width:228px\"><b>2<\/b><span>Poor sleep makes your stress system more reactive.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:50%;top:85.33%;width:228px\"><b>3<\/b><span>Increased reactivity makes tomorrow feel harder.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"nd\" style=\"left:15.33%;top:50%;width:228px\"><b>4<\/b><span>Tomorrow creates more stress.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"core\"><i>and now it is<\/i><b>self-sustaining<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rgch\"><ol><li><b>1<\/b><span>Stress makes it harder to sleep.<\/span><\/li><li><b>2<\/b><span>Poor sleep makes your stress system more reactive.<\/span><\/li><li><b>3<\/b><span>Increased reactivity makes tomorrow feel harder.<\/span><\/li><li><b>4<\/b><span>Tomorrow creates more stress.<\/span><\/li><\/ol><div class=\"rgbk\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 46 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M44 4 C44 16 30 19 16 19 L4 19 M9 14 L4 19 L9 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#a03566\" stroke-width=\"1.7\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><p>And back to the first step. <b>self-sustaining.<\/b><\/p><\/div><\/div><figcaption>Each step is a reasonable response to the one before it, which is why the loop closes instead of stopping. It is also why someone can say, completely truthfully, that they are exhausted but cannot switch off: exhaustion and physiological arousal are not opposites, and you can be profoundly tired while your threat-detection and arousal systems are still highly active.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The stress response does not stop at the brain. The nervous, endocrine, and immune systems communicate constantly. Acute stress can produce changes in inflammatory signalling that may be adaptive in the short term. Repeated or prolonged stress, however, has been associated with alterations in inflammatory regulation and broader physiological wear and tear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Again, this is an area where nuance matters. It would be inaccurate to say that stress simply \u201ccauses inflammation\u201d and then blame every symptom on cortisol. Human immune regulation is enormously complicated, and the relationship between psychological stress, inflammation, and disease varies across individuals and conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f22087a0 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fdf4ec;border-color:#f0dfd0;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:20px;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:50px;padding:38px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#a9503f;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:12px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORTH BEING CLEAR ABOUT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"stress-does-not-simply-cause-inflammation\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:16px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Stress does not simply cause inflammation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But the basic principle is well established enough to take seriously: <strong class=\"eqb\">psychological experiences can influence physiological systems<\/strong>, and the brain is one of the major coordinators of that communication. You are not a brain floating around inside a body. The brain is part of the body. Stress reminds us of that rather forcefully.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">06<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part six of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-6\">Why people differ, and what helps<\/h2><p class=\"sb\">Resilience as something that happens rather than something you have, and why the ordinary things are the ones that work<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"so-why-do-some-people-seem-to-handle-stress-better\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">So why do some people seem to handle stress better?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is one of the most important questions, because \u201cstress resilience\u201d is often talked about as though some people simply possess a better nervous system. Reality is much less fixed. People differ in how strongly they react to stress, what they perceive as threatening, how quickly they recover, what coping strategies they use, what previous experiences have taught their brains to expect, and what social and environmental resources they have available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Research on resilience increasingly emphasizes that <strong class=\"eqb\">it is a dynamic process rather than a permanent personality trait<\/strong>. Someone may be extremely resilient in one environment and completely overwhelmed in another. Someone may cope beautifully with acute pressure but struggle with prolonged uncertainty. Someone may recover quickly from one stressful event and take much longer after another. There is no single \u201cresilient brain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">There are systems that help a person detect threats, regulate emotion, maintain cognitive control, recover physiologically, interpret context, and reconnect with safety. And those systems are influenced by biology, experience, sleep, relationships, environment, behaviour, and probably many things we do not yet understand particularly well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"the-goal-is-not-to-eliminate-stress\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">The goal is not to eliminate stress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is perhaps the most important takeaway. A completely stress-free life would not actually be a particularly useful biological goal. You need some level of challenge. You need to be able to become alert when something matters, mobilize energy when necessary, experience excitement, respond to danger, care about outcomes, and adapt to change. <strong class=\"eqb\">The goal is not permanent calm. It is flexibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Can the system activate when something matters? Can it stand down when the situation is over? Can attention return to other things? Can the brain distinguish a current problem from an old one? Can the body experience safety without immediately searching for the next threat? Can you think flexibly when something goes wrong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">These questions are much more meaningful than simply asking whether someone is \u201cstressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"and-this-changes-how-we-think-about-calming-down\" style=\"color:#a03566;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:13px;font-size:clamp(15.197px, 0.95rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.887), 23px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">And this changes how we think about calming down<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">If stress is a coordinated biological response, then telling someone to \u201cjust relax\u201d is not particularly sophisticated advice. Sometimes you cannot simply think your way out of a physiological state. At the same time, the brain and body are constantly communicating in both directions. What you do, think, notice, and experience can influence physiological regulation, just as physiological state influences thoughts and behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">This is why things that look almost insultingly ordinary can matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:6px;margin-bottom:26px\"><div class=\"eq-chips\"><span>sleep<\/span><span>movement<\/span><span>regular meals<\/span><span>time away from constant demands<\/span><span>social connection<\/span><span>predictable routines<\/span><span>periods of genuine rest<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">Learning to recognize what triggers stress rather than only noticing the final explosion. Creating enough safety and recovery that the system does not have to remain permanently prepared for the next problem. None of these is a magical nervous-system \u201creset.\u201d <strong class=\"eqb\">They are ways of changing the conditions under which a regulatory system has to operate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">And sometimes the most useful intervention is not learning how to tolerate more stress. <strong class=\"eqb\">It is figuring out whether your life is asking your nervous system to tolerate an unreasonable amount of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev eq-part\" style=\"margin-top:96px;margin-bottom:10px\"><div class=\"no\">07<\/div><div class=\"tx\"><p class=\"lb\">Part seven of seven<\/p><h2 id=\"part-7\">Your brain is not trying to ruin your life<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">When you are stressed, it can feel as though your brain has become the problem. You cannot concentrate. You cannot stop thinking. You are more reactive. You forget things. You sleep badly. You crave distraction. You have less patience than usual. You may even start criticizing yourself for not functioning normally, which adds another layer of threat to an already busy system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">But your brain is not making a moral judgment about your productivity. It is responding to what it perceives. Sometimes it responds accurately. Sometimes it overestimates the threat. Sometimes it gets stuck in a pattern that was useful once but is no longer particularly helpful. And sometimes the problem is not that the brain is reacting too strongly. Sometimes the environment really is demanding too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">The brain, unfortunately, does not divide the world into \u201creasonable amount of stress\u201d and \u201cthis is objectively too much.\u201d <strong class=\"eqb\">It adapts to what keeps happening.<\/strong> That is why understanding stress is useful. Not because you can eliminate it, but because once you understand what the system is doing, you can start asking better questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\">What is my brain responding to? What is it preparing me for? Does the threat still exist, or is my system still acting as though it does? What happens when the stressful situation ends? Do I actually recover, or do I simply move from one demand to the next? And perhaps the most useful question of all:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#342a2e;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14.082px, 0.88rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.786), 21px);line-height:1.68\"><strong class=\"eqb\">What would give my brain enough evidence that it is allowed to stand down?<\/strong> Because a healthy nervous system is not one that never sounds the alarm. It is one that can sound the alarm when necessary, and eventually recognize when the danger has passed.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-cfa769b3 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#fdf5f9;border-color:#f1dfe8;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:18px;margin-top:60px;margin-bottom:44px;padding:30px 34px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#7a6870;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\"><span id=\"references\" style=\"scroll-margin-top:24px\"><\/span>REFERENCES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" style=\"color:#4a4046;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);line-height:1.7\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1152\/physrev.00041.2006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">McEwen BS. Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews. 2007;87(3):873-904.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1749-6632.1998.tb09546.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">McEwen BS. Stress, adaptation, and disease. Allostasis and allostatic load. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1998;840:33-44.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1196\/annals.1314.001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">McEwen BS. Protection and damage from acute and chronic stress: allostasis and allostatic overload and relevance to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2004;1032:1-7.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1749-6632.2009.05331.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">McEwen BS, Gianaros PJ. Central role of the brain in stress and adaptation: links to socioeconomic status, health, and disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2010;1186:190-222.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2009.10.002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Juster RP, McEwen BS, Lupien SJ. Allostatic load biomarkers of chronic stress and impact on health and cognition. Neuroscience &amp; Biobehavioral Reviews. 2010;35(1):2-16.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.yfrne.2018.02.001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Lupien SJ, et al. The effects of chronic stress on the human brain: From neurotoxicity, to vulnerability, to opportunity. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. 2018;49:1-18.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.nlm.2020.107254\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Plieger T, Reuter M. Stress &amp; executive functioning: A review considering moderating factors. Neuropsychologia. 2020;135:107254.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ynstr.2014.10.002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Arnsten AFT, Raskind MA, Taylor FB, Connor DF. The effects of stress exposure on prefrontal cortex: translating basic research into successful treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder. Neurobiology of Stress. 2015;1:89-99.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.tins.2014.03.006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Hermans EJ, Henckens MJAG, Jo\u00ebls M, Fern\u00e1ndez G. Dynamic adaptation of large-scale brain networks in response to acute stressors. Trends in Neurosciences. 2014;37(6):304-314.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/nrn849\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Kim JJ, Diamond DM. The stressed hippocampus, synaptic plasticity and lost memories. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2002;3:453-462.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jne.12353\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Wolf OT. Stress and memory: a selective review on recent developments in the understanding of stress hormone effects on memory and their clinical relevance. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. 2017;14:1-6.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000356423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Wolf OT, et al. Stress, memory, and the hippocampus. Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews. 2015.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Shields GS, Sazma MA, Yonelinas AP. The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol. Neuroscience &amp; Biobehavioral Reviews. 2016;68:651-668.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Rohleder N. Stress and inflammation: The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;105:164-171.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1523\/jneurosci.0733-19.2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">McEwen BS, Akil H. Revisiting the stress concept: implications for affective disorders. Journal of Neuroscience. 2020;40(1):12-21.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41562-017-0200-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Kalisch R, et al. The resilience framework as a strategy to combat stress-related disorders. Nature Human Behaviour. 2017;1:784-790.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/nrn2649\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Feder A, Nestler EJ, Charney DS. Psychobiology and molecular genetics of resilience. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2009;10:446-457.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnbeh.2013.00039\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">van der Werff SJA, et al. Neuroimaging resilience to stress: a review. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2013;7:39.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/a0035302\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Slavich GM, Irwin MR. From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: a social signal transduction theory of depression. Psychological Bulletin. 2014;140(3):774-815.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.smrv.2017.10.002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:inherit;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:#eccada\">Dalfsen JH, Markus CR. The influence of sleep on human hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2018;39:38-48.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eq-lastrev\" style=\"margin:34px 0 0;font-family:&quot;Work Sans&quot;,sans-serif;font-size:11.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;line-height:1.5;color:#7a6870\">Last reviewed September 2026<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:44px\"><a class=\"stx-next\" href=\"\/surprisingly-busy-business-of-sleeping\/\"><span class=\"eyb\">Read next<\/span><span class=\"ti\">The Surprisingly Busy Business of Sleeping<\/span><span class=\"wy\">The other half of that loop, and the eight hours your brain spends doing work you never see.<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d2a766d4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div class=\"eq-rev\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A therapist taking notes on a clipboard during a session, with the other person&#39;s hands clasped in front of them\" class=\"wp-image-230\" style=\"width:100%;height:340px;object-fit:cover;object-position:center 40%;border-radius:22px 22px 0px 0px;display:block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mid-shot-woman-therapist-taking-notes-clipboard-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group eq-ondark has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f8d2d232 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"background-color:#2a1a22;border-radius:0px 0px 22px 22px;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:54px;padding:46px\">\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#d9a8bd;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:14px;font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.16em;line-height:1.4\">WORKING WITH THIS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family\" id=\"stress-is-not-the-problem-to-be-solved\" style=\"color:#ffffff;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:18px;font-size:clamp(18.434px, 1.152rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 1.201), 29px);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.28\">Stress is not the problem to be solved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#ebd9e3;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:26px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.455), 18px);line-height:1.7\">Reading about a system is not the same as having somewhere to watch your own. Those last questions are hard to answer from inside the week they are about, and much easier to answer out loud, with someone whose job is to notice what you have stopped noticing. If it has been a long time since anything felt properly finished, that is worth talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-8cc0de77 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"gap:30px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/individual-session\/\" style=\"border-radius:9px;color:#272320;background-color:#eee6df;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:700\">Book a session<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button footer_b\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-work-sans-regular-font-family wp-element-button\" href=\"\/contact\/\" style=\"border-color:#cab4a4;border-width:1.5px;border-style:solid;border-radius:9px;color:#ffffff;padding:15px 30px;font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.284), 16.5px);font-weight:600\">Get in touch<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-d12c95ff wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<script>\n(function(){\n  function bind(){\n    var gl=document.querySelectorAll(\".eqp .eq-term\");\n    if(!gl.length){ return; }\n    function place(el){\n      var card=el.querySelector(\".eq-def\");\n      if(!card){ return; }\n      var rects=el.getClientRects();\n      var a=rects.length?rects[0]:el.getBoundingClientRect();\n      var W=document.documentElement.clientWidth;\n      var mid=a.left+a.width\/2, half=card.offsetWidth\/2, m=14, dx=0;\n      if(mid-half<m){ dx=m-(mid-half); }\n      else if(mid+half>W-m){ dx=(W-m)-(mid+half); }\n      card.style.setProperty(\"--sx\",dx.toFixed(1)+\"px\");\n    }\n    for(var i=0;i<gl.length;i++){\n      (function(el){\n        el.addEventListener(\"mouseenter\",function(){ place(el); });\n        el.addEventListener(\"focus\",function(){ place(el); });\n        el.addEventListener(\"keydown\",function(e){ if(e.key===\"Escape\"){ el.blur(); } });\n      })(gl[i]);\n    }\n    function all(){ for(var j=0;j<gl.length;j++){ place(gl[j]); } }\n    all();\n    if(document.fonts){ document.fonts.ready.then(all); }\n    if(document.readyState!==\"complete\"){ window.addEventListener(\"load\",all); }\n    var t=null;\n    window.addEventListener(\"resize\",function(){ if(t){ clearTimeout(t); } t=setTimeout(all,120); });\n  }\n  if(document.readyState===\"loading\"){ document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",bind); }\n  else{ bind(); }\n})();\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stress is not a character flaw, and your brain is not malfunctioning. What actually changes under pressure, and what the research does and does not show.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":119,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-body-and-mind","category-deep-dive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2661"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2732,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2661\/revisions\/2732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/equilibriumpsychotherapy.net\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}